Free Programs

Photobie

By providing normal editing techniques and adding some unique twists, the free Photobie takes aim at its higher-priced competition. Although novices will be overwhelmed by the numerous options, the program proved to be a very good image editor.

This freeware program even emulates more popular apps like Photoshop in its presentation and interface. The screen is dominated by a generous space for the picture to be touched up. Along the top are simple, colorful icons for saving, starting new projects, printing, and the like. Along the right side is a color palette with a box of tools for color fill, creating lines, and other basic options. In addition, a separate box monitors each of your steps and lays them out in order for users to keep track.

The most unique additions are embedded in a gray bar at the very top of the program. Here you can create a 3D cube, make a screen capture, and actually produce GIF animation with your picture and changes. The animation is a little hard to master at first, but proves to be a lot of fun. We don't recommend this program for those new to image editing, since it may be over their heads, but old pros will find a lot to love with the free Photobie.